As Red Sox open spring camp, much is yet to be determined

Tuesday

Feb 13, 2018 at 2:00 PM

Tim Britton Journal Sports Writer timbritton

FORT MYERS, Fla. — When the clubhouse officially opens on Wednesday, when pitchers and catchers gather for the first workouts of the 2018 season and Alex Cora has his first chance to address a major-league team as his own, he doesn't know quite what he'll say.

"I'm going back and forth, how to address the team. Do I wait for everybody to be here? Do I talk to pitchers and catchers tomorrow? I don't know," Cora said Tuesday. "My style is yet to be determined."

Indeed, that is the unexpected theme at JetBlue Park as the Red Sox open 2018. One would suspect that a team coming off consecutive division titles, a team that has not added a single major-leaguer to its roster from the group that lost in the Division Series to the Astros last October, would have a settled feel to it.

Not so. That roster still feels under construction, thanks to the availability of so many high-profile free agents as camps open across Florida and Arizona. Until J.D. Martinez signs, either with Boston or elsewhere, these Sox will feel somehow provisional. If Cora waits for "everybody to be here," he could be waiting a while.

The uncertainty surrounding the TBD Sox colors the possible expectations for them. Yes, they have won the American League East each of the last two seasons, and last year's squad underperformed offensively. However, they've managed to win a single postseason game in two series over that span, and the two American League teams that advanced further than them in last year's playoffs — the Astros and Yankees — have made larger offseason splashes.

Boston thus cannot paint itself as an American League favorite the way it could this time last year.

And the biggest uncertainty resides in the manager's chair, since that was the major change that the Sox did make. In tabbing the 42-year-old Cora to his first manager's gig, Boston is banking that he can connect more smoothly with the clubhouse than his predecessor, John Farrell. David Price talked about casual conversations with the manager — ones that aren't always focused on the game.

"I think that’s good," Price said of the "light" conversations. "We have a good relationship already, and that’s talking more than just baseball."

"There's more that goes on in their lives and in my life," said Cora, mentioning that he and Price can each talk about their infant children. "You're human beings, and if you only concentrate on baseball, it becomes a grind. It becomes a long season. You have to connect with them and learn about their families and learn about them off the field. That makes it a more fulfilling experience."

And so Cora's first official meeting with the media this spring on Tuesday wasn't just about the usual basics this time of year — health updates and camp competition and batting-order dilemmas.

There was philosophical talk as well, about what kind of team he wants to have and what kind of team this could possibly become. Cora's occasional indecisiveness — not only what to say to the team on Wednesday, but whether even to address it at all — is somewhat scary and refreshing at the same time. There's potential for the new manager to become a real asset, but potential always comes with a question mark.

Cora knows that feeling himself from his time as a player. After all, he played for 10 different managers, not counting both stints with Davey Johnson.

"I don't expect [the players] to like me right away," he said. "As a player, I went through that process. It's always, 'Let's see how he acts. Let's see what he brings to the table.' I'm comfortable with the situation and comfortable with the group. This is going to work."

He also knows that he doesn't have much of a grace period here. This is a team that is built to win now, and there won't be much patience for managerial growing pains.

"You have to embrace that," Cora said of Boston's weighty expectations. "I don't see it as an obstacle. I see it as something challenging but fun. It's fun to be part of this environment."

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.